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WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert acknowledged progress in ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players’ union, but also outlined a deadline by which she hopes an agreement can be reached.
Engelbert said the schedule is intended to avoid disrupting the league’s spring schedule as training camp and preseason games approach.
“We have to do it by Monday. I would have to say we have to do it without disrupting some of the fact that we have to manage this two-team expansion. [draft]” said Engelbert.
“We need to continue our expansion. We need to get free agency going. We need to get the college draft done, which is a month from now.”
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WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks during a news conference before the WNBA All-Star Game, July 19, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Training camp is scheduled to begin on April 19, followed by the start of preseason games on April 25.
Negotiations reportedly lasted hours every day over the past few days.
National Women’s Basketball Players Association Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson and Engelbert both acknowledged the positive steps taken in recent days, particularly on ancillary issues.
A basketball passes through a hoop during warmups before a game between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena on June 20, 2023, in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
However, Engelbert noted that both sides “still have a lot of work to do.”
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Jackson struck a cautiously optimistic tone.
“I think the league, and particularly the commissioner and her team, have heard that transformation remains the goal,” Jackson told reporters. “As long as the movement keeps us moving forward, I think we’re fine.”
The two sides have yet to reach an agreement on a new revenue sharing system.
A WNBA logo on the court before a game between the Connecticut Sun and the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena on June 25, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Different proposals on player salary systems have been launched by the league and the union. The WNBA’s proposal calls for players to earn on average more than 70% of net revenue, while the union’s most recent proposal targets 26% of gross revenue over the life of the deal, according to ESPN.
The union reportedly resisted a previous league proposal that called for players to receive less than 15% of gross revenue. The league argued that some of the union’s proposals could result in millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Napheesa Collier, vice president of the WNBPA, joined the negotiations in person Friday evening. Fellow executive committee members Brianna Turner and Alysha Clark were in attendance earlier in the week.
